Raising a nation (Germany and Prussia)
by Dr. Doitsu
Summary: Prussia raises a young Germany. Not Germancest. Irregular updates.
1. Getting started

Gilbert looked at the man sat at the other end of the table, a smirk in place on his features. After a few months of war, France had been easily defeated by the Prussian nation and as a result of his victory, Francis was sat across from Gilbert with an annoyed expression directed at his friend. Despite the current situation, they were still friends and everybody was aware of this. Sometimes, France had to wonder just how Gilbert kept his personal feelings separate from how his country was feeling at the time. Despite having no political reasons for it, Gilbert's crush on Hungary had been apparent for quite a while and it was painfully obvious to the nation of love how Gilbert felt about the Hungarian. Even during wars and conflicts, Gilbert would show up at Francis or Antonio's homes acting as though nothing was different, insisting that they all get together for drinks. Francis didn't want to bring himself to do so, but at times he found himself forced to admit that Gilbert was the most human of all the nations. He had to be, to let his own emotions go unaffected by whatever was happening in his country. Even when Gilbert's feelings matched those of Prussia's, Francis didn't doubt that it was in fact Gilbert's emotions influencing the land he was representing and not the other way around. Yes, Gilbert really was...something.

The blond was pulled from his thoughts concerning the albino by the sound of coughing. If it had been an attempt of Gilbert's to get the Frenchman's attention then it had certainly worked, but upon taking a second glance he found that Gilbert wasn't coughing. In fact, Francis couldn't see the source of the noise at all. Gilbert however, had seemed to have found it, and was now bending down to aid a small blond child, trying to get the boy back to bed. Despite how weary and tired the boy appeared to be, there were several distinct similarities between the infant and the man who was currently taking care to get the younger back upstairs. The eyes, despite being outlined by dark circles and being of a different colour, resembled Gilbert's in shape and fierce determination. The boy's skin was pale, but Francis could see by his sick state that it was a result of illness and not the natural colour, which couldn't be very different to its current shade anyway. The most obvious difference was the blond hair that hung in the boy's eyes, covering his furrowed brows. His appearance reminded him of the young nation who had been his 'brother' at one point, not that the 'relation' was ever treated as such. All they did was fight, but that was what brothers did anyway. Still, whose brother hadn't Holy Rome been? Austria's, Italy's, Hungary's, Hesse's, Saxony's, Holstein's, Brandenburg's, Bavaria's, Prussia's...

Gilbert's best efforts appeared to be wasted on the boy, who seemed to be adamant about not going back to bed. However, the resistance was futile seeing as Gilbert simply picked the boy up and took him back upstairs, casting a look at France and muttering something along the lines of 'I'll be back in a sec,' The blond male nodded in response, wondering who the boy was and why he was with Gilbert. If a member of the Prussian royal family had given birth and was trusting Gilbert with the job of babysitting then Francis hadn't heard of it, and even if the child was a royal one, Gilbert hadn't been bragging about him and since the boy seemed to be somewhere around the age of four or five, he would have been announced as the newest arrival to the royal family a while ago. So, that rules that out. But what other reason would Gilbert have a child?

With the intention of asking about the young boy when Gilbert returned downstairs, Francis leaned back in his chair, glancing out of the window and waiting for the albino to come back so that France could go. It was already getting late and it was bad enough losing a war and having to give in to Gilbert's demands, but having to wait to see what the demands would be was just cruel. Although France was eager to leave as soon as possible, he decided to ask his questions about the blond child in Gilbert's custody before the red-eyed man had a chance to make his demands and have him sign any treaties. Perhaps if he was lucky, Gilbert would be so distracted by talking about the boy that he would forget the real reason that he had invited, or rather forced France to come today. Francis had to wonder why they were in Gilbert's home in Frankfurt instead of the one in Berlin that the albino would usually use. He was halfway through lighting a cigarette when the Prussian returned, and Francis made sure to ask his questions before Gilbert could make his demands.  
"Prussia, Mon Ami, can I ask who that little boy was?" he asked, not even giving the other a chance to sit down before he inquired after the boy. "He seemed pretty ill, aren't you looking after him properly?" he added with a laugh. He was pushing his luck here, but if Gilbert was as caring towards this child as he had been to other children and animals that he had met over the years, then the Prussian would definitely rush to defend himself and his parenting skills. As predicted, Gilbert was quick with a counteracting argument. "Nein! I'm looking after Ludwig perfectly well!"

France just nodded a hand on his chin. "Ludwig? Well why are you looking after him? You didn't seem the 'parenting' type." Francis pointed out with a smug expression. Gilbert's response was simple. "Shut up."

A loud laugh came from the Frenchman's direction and he continued to speak, flicking his hair to the side as he opened his mouth to continue the conversation. "Oui, Oui, I'm not going to question your reasons for taking in a child, but is now the wisest time? Your brothers tell me that you're trying to create a unified country instead of having the separate Germanics. Surely being busy doing that won't give you much time to raise a...child..." The blond trailed off, coming to the realisation that he had been looking for. "...Unless...Unless raising the child and creating a new country aren't two separate affairs..." The stunned look that France received from his Prussian friend was enough to confirm his theory, and he nodded in understanding. "Ah, I see. Hm, Judging from the state of your _enfant_, your efforts to build a new country isn't going too well. He looks like he's coming to the end of his life, not starting it."

Prussia's eye twitched and he cast a glare at the blond. "Don't say that kind of stuff! He's gonna be a great nation, I know it!" Gilbert insisted, frowning. The Frenchman just raised his hands dismissively. "Maybe so, but in his current state that seems unlikely. Though I suppose that you'll find a way for him to grow into a strong country. After all, if there's anything that I've learned from being one of your closest and only friends, you don't give up." He chuckled, standing. "Well Gilbert this has been a wonderful visit. I'll make sure to pop by again some time to see how your little project...I mean, how your _petit frère _is getting along, not that I particularly _approve_ of you trying to unify those states near your place. In fact I'm against it but, well. Bon nuit, I'll let myself out..." he said, turning to face the door but stopped by a hand on his shoulder.

"Nice try, Francis. But we still have business to sort out." Gilbert laughed, shaking his head and directing the blond back to the seat that he had previously occupied.

_Can't blame a man for trying._ France thought to himself moodily as he scanned the papers that the other had pushed in his direction, his blue eyes widening. "...You want 5 billion...How can you expect me to pay you 5 billion Francs in 'war debt' ?! The war was your fault!"

"You're the one who declared war, Buddy." Gilbert reminded him, grinning in response to Francis' sigh. "You wanted to take over Antonio's house!"

The Prussian raised an eyebrow. "_He asked if my prince wanted to become his king," _He sighed. "**_And then I said no. _**It's hardly an attempt to takeover Spain. Besides, Romano would kill me." Gilbert shrugged, stretching his arms. "Keep reading. It gets better."

Francis narrowed his eyes at his 'friend', continuing to look through the pages. "...Alsace and Lorraine too?! That's ridiculous!" he declared, shaking his head. Again, Gilbert shrugged. "Just sign the paper, Francis. The faster we get this over with, the faster you can leave."

With an annoyed huff, France did as he was told and signed the treaty, standing up and handing it to Prussia. "Bear in mind that I will be getting some form of revenge or at least an apology from you, Prusse." He stated a moody expression on his face. Gilbert just laughed. "Since when have I apologised to anyone?"

"I suppose I'll just have to settle for revenge, then." Francis chuckled, waving at Gilbert and leaving the room.

"_Oh Mon Dieu." _He sighed as he exited, leaning on the door. Not only did he have to pay, but he had to give up two areas to Gilbert, and only God knew what the Albino intended to do with them. "Oh Mon Dieu." He repeated under his breath, making his way home.

Fairly satisfied with the night's events, Gilbert returned upstairs to Ludwig's room, leaving his own copy of the treaty on the shelf. "Alsace and Lorraine are ours now, West. Don't worry, I can build up an empire and make you strong again." He said quietly, sighing at the sleeping child's current state. How could someone look so troubled even when they were sleeping? Ludwig's breathing was slow, his chest rising and falling at a reduced rate as beads of cold sweat ran down his forehead and the tiny blond clung onto his pillow rather than resting on it. Sighing again, Gilbert sat on the chair beside the bed, a spot that he had occupied for many nights over the past few years ever since he had found the blond. He'd been out with his brothers when they'd seen something moving, and after dismounting from their horses, the group had changed their course and ventured into the forest where they had heard movement. They had expected a wild animal or possibly Hungary, but had instead found a boy. After turning away to discuss their interesting find, they decided to leave Prussia and Brandenburg with the child while the others left to look for a parent. Gilbert had watched as his brothers left to find the boy's guardian while Brandenburg attempted a conversation. The infant had been frightened of the man's gruff voice and turned to run away. Groaning, Gilbert followed him, instructing his brother to watch the horses. It didn't take long to find the boy leaning against a tree, trying to catch his breath. Unfortunately, as soon as he spotted Gilbert coming towards him, the boy had fled again, though he seemed to be out of energy and was running very slowly. The Prussian had easily managed to catch him, and when he did he picked the boy up despite the child's weak yet constant struggling. Once they had regrouped, and the Germanics who had been looking had found no trace of a possible parent or nearby town or village where the boy could have come from, it hadn't taken the brothers long to work out that this boy could be like them. Gilbert had been the first to suggest this, though stubbornly, Saxony and Hesse had disagreed for no other reason than to cause an argument. After a heated discussion, it was decided that Gilbert would take the child home, since the new nation was probably there as a result of one of Prussia's actions, and he had been found on the border to Prussia anyway. And so, Gilbert had found himself with a new younger brother, a tiny creature that only had him in the world and nothing else. (Except for the multitude of Germanic nations who insisted that they were also Ludwig's older brothers, and Gilbert had agreed as long as he got to be 'the main one' ) It was Gilbert's duty to watch over this child and he intended to do it. However, despite deciding on 'Ludwig' as an acceptable name for the child, each of the brothers had a different idea when it came to what Ludwig's surname should be, and so Gilbert decided to unofficially introduce his new brother as 'Ludwig Beilschmidt' instead of just 'Ludwig' to everyone that he met, but only refer to the blond as 'Ludwig' when his brothers were in earshot to avoid restarting the argument regarding the boy's second name.

* * *

Watching over the boy as he slept, Gilbert recalled how his theory of Ludwig being Holy Roman Empire had come to be, and despite the unlikelihood of it being true, he was sure. He just had one little thing to do to test his idea. He had to introduce the child to Austria, Hungary and most importantly, Italy to see if it would inspire even the smallest glimmer of recognition in Ludwig's blue eyes. It had been only a hunch at first, but the more he got to know Ludwig, the more Gilbert began to recognise little things that the boy did as things that Holy Rome had also done. Little, unimportant things like the way he would always blush at the simplest things, or the fact that he would read whenever he had the chance, and how he also seemed to enjoy telling the older man off if he caught him doing something that he shouldn't be. There were no obvious signs that Ludwig and Holy Rome were one and the same besides their appearance, and with Ludwig's current weak state, he and his possible past self didn't even look the same anymore. Ludwig hadn't said anything that could inspire the belief that he was Holy Rome. He hadn't had any strange dreams about a girl with a curl. He hadn't asked 'how big brother Austria was'. In all honesty, Ludwig hadn't done anything to support Gilbert's theory besides little things that held no real amount of evidence. But Prussia was sure that Ludwig was who he thought he was. After all, Holy Rome had been too young to die.

* * *

Over the next few months, things seemed to be looking up. Ludwig seemed to grow healthier with every step towards forming a unified Germany that Gilbert took. The child's skinny frame had grown sideways with the help of Gilbert's constant urge to feed him more than his fair share of food each day. Soon enough, Ludwig was healthy enough to show off, and Gilbert knew the first place that he would be taking him.

Austria's house.

* * *

**Hello everyone, the doctor will see you now~! I hope you enjoy this **

**story. I just want to warn you that the updates will probably be irregular and that chapter length will vary. Obviously, I don't own Hetalia.**


	2. Meeting Austria

**Heh, Enjoy the second chapter of this terrible little fanfiction~ I Hope you enjoy it. 0u0**

Ludwig hid behind Gilbert's legs, not wanting to be seen by the two people in the room. He'd heard lots of things about these two, and it wasn't the dark haired, frowning man that frightened him. In fact, it was the smiling woman that struck the most fear into the small child's heart. Elizabeta Héderváry. Hungary. Gilbert had described his tales of being an 'awesome Teutonic Knight' as a child, and the majority of the tales had involved the very nation that Ludwig had now found himself a few feet away from with only Gilbert for protection. He knew that he shouldn't be afraid. In each of the stories, Gilbert had said that despite Hungary having a ridiculous temper, she had not once managed to put so much as a scratch on the 'awesome' nation. Taking a deep breath, Ludwig poked his head out from the gap between Gilbert's legs, holding onto the albino's knees for support as he looked up at Hungary and the dark haired man that Gilbert had told him was 'Austria'.

Sensing his brother's discomfort, Gilbert reached down and picked him up, quietly reassuring him that he didn't have to be afraid and that everything was going to be ok. Ludwig nodded, determined to be brave so as not to let his older brother down. After taking a deep breath, he turned his head to face the two occupants of the room, still clinging tightly to his brother's uniform. "H-Hallo." He squeaked; face red as he looked at the two warily. While Hungary giggled and waved at the newest addition to the Germanic family, Roderich nodded at him politely. "Hallo, Ludwig. I'm Austria." He said, the introduction accompanied by his hand moving to gesture in the general direction of his wife. "And this is my wife, Hungary."

"There's no need to be so formal, Specs." Gilbert chuckled, "He knows who you are, D'you really think I'd bring him here without telling him about you guys first?"

Roderich sighed and nodded, looking at the boy with a pleasant smile. After a few moments, it was clear that Ludwig wasn't going to say anything else to him other than that quiet 'hallo' earlier. "Well, Ludwig," the Austrian began, trying to start a conversation with the evidently shy child. "Did your big brother tell you what your country is called yet?" he asked, trying to appear as friendly as possible. The boy remained quiet, but nodded, mouthing 'Germany'

Elizabeta smiled, reaching out to take him from Gilbert. "Come on, Germany, let's go and play. Does that sound fun?" she asked, holding him to her chest and causing a bright red blush to form on the blond's cheeks as he leaned backwards desperately.

"Hey, Careful west! Do you _want _ her to drop you?!" Gilbert asked, a hand on Ludwig's back as he pushed him forwards until the boy was safely pressed against Hungary's voluptuous chest. He cast a pleading look in Roderich's direction but the Austrian merely shrugged apologetically. Ludwig watched the two men with wide, fearful eyes as Hungary took him out of the room and upstairs.

Gilbert grinned proudly as he watched the two leave, turning his head to face his relative. "So, what do you think?"

Raising a dark eyebrow, Roderich looked at the albino blankly. "What do you mean?" he asked the man, and Gilbert groaned. "About Ludwig! What do you think about my awesome job raising him?" The wide grin was still in place on Gilbert's face as he continued. "I'm a pretty great big brother, Better than some. You know, he doesn't want to go up against me in a war or anything and he hasn't died so compared to you, I'm doing a pretty awesome job-" the albino's babbling was cut off by the glare that he was receiving from the Austrian. Roderich narrowed his eyes at his Prussian... '_friend'_ , an irritated expression on his dainty little face. "Please refrain from bringing _him_ up..." the Austrian made his request with a small frown.

"Oh please, Specs, Ignoring what happened won't make the guilt go away." Gilbert stated, smirking. "Face it, you're a terrible older brother. Holy Rome, Liechtenstein, you messed up for both of 'em." He continued a hand on the brunet's chin. Roderich pushed his cousin's hand away, glaring at the albino while Gilbert spoke. "So don't try to take over as Germany's brother. I don't want him dying a second time."

Roderich inwardly questioned the Prussian's way of wording that sentence, but didn't say anything. The last thing he wanted was for this conversation to drag out any longer than it already had. Huffing, the aristocratic man pushed Gilbert away, and though he really did lack the physical strength to separate himself from Prussia, Gilbert stepped backwards anyway, clearly satisfied that Austria wouldn't take his brother away from him.

Upstairs, Hungary had put Ludwig down on her bed, looking through her drawers to find something that she could dress the boy up in. Her back was turned to Ludwig, and the blond decided that now was his chance to escape. Soon, Ludwig had successfully managed to lower himself down from his spot on the bed, and was now standing on the ground. He was convinced that he hadn't made a sound, and a glance at the Hungarian showed that she hadn't seemed to see him move. She was still looking through her drawers for something that would fit him. Taking a slow, shaky breath, Ludwig began to edge towards the door. He was nearly there. Three more steps. Two more steps. One more step...

The German looked at Hungary, blue eyes wide. She hadn't heard him?! Perfect! He reached up for the door handle and twisted it, his expression of joy turning to one of dread in under a second. It was locked?! It couldn't be locked! He hadn't even seen this...this madwoman lock it! He looked at Elizabeta with terror and disbelief.

She was smirking at him, tossing a key up and down in her hand. "Looking for something~?"

Ludwig's chubby little hands gripped the handle tighter and began twisting it with all of his might. It had to open! It just had to! He came to the realisation that the door wasn't going to open for him any time soon as Hungary came closer to him, a small, rather cute dress in her hands as she advanced on the tiny blond. Ludwig felt like he was a small, weak animal about to be pounced on by a vicious, hungry lioness. He screwed his eyes shut, saying his final goodbyes to the world that he had only had the pleasure of knowing for a few years.

_Ring Ring._

All of a sudden, the door was open and Hungary had already progressed to the bottom floor of the large home, her earlier desires of humiliating Germany by dressing him up seemingly forgotten as she left to answer the door. The child heaved a sigh, leaving the room and making his way down the halls of Roderich's grand mansion on his own. The halls were lined with paintings, and Ludwig inspected each one as he passed them. The pictures were mainly landscapes, though there were also a small proportion of portraits. The pictures of people were interesting, and the one that interested Ludwig the most was one that appeared to be of Austria, only the man bore a moustache in this image. Funny, he didn't seem the type to have a moustache, and Ludwig secretly doubted that Roderich was even able to grow facial hair. The young German was still unconvinced that the guy was actually a man.

All thoughts concerning Roderich's gender and hair growing abilities were replaced with curiosity when Ludwig passed a door. It wasn't any different from the other doors in the hall, except that this one appeared to be locked, while the others were merely closed. There was nothing about the door that stood out, but Ludwig found that he couldn't bring himself to walk past it. He put a hand on the door, brushing his palm against the wood. He stayed like this for a while until he heard movement on the other side. Eyes widening, he stepped backwards and stared at it. Gilbert had said that there were only two people living here, so what could be making that noise?!

He walked down the hall, occasionally glancing back in the direction of the mysterious door with narrowed eyes. After what Ludwig presumed had been half an hour of travelling the hallways (turns out that there were many more than one), the young nation found himself in a library. It was lined with shelves that reached from the floor all the way up to the ceiling, and every one of these shelves was filled with books. The room itself smelled old, the scent of wood and material and decades' worth of knowledge filled the blond's nostrils. Gilbert didn't have a library like this at his house, that was for sure. Ludwig decided that no one would mind if he stayed her for a short while. After all, education was encouraged, right?

A few hours passed, and Ludwig was lying down on his stomach, about to turn the page of a compilation of fairy tales when Roderich entered the room, looking relieved when he noticed Ludwig. "Germany." He said, raising his voice in order to get the young nation's attention. As expected, Ludwig looked up at him, more annoyed at not being able to finish the book than relieved that he had been found and therefore wasn't lost anymore. The blond stood with an apologetic smile, holding the book up for the Austrian to take while muttering a quiet request for forgiveness. "S-Sorry...I didn't mean to read your book without a-asking, I just got lost..."

Roderich didn't take the book, mainly because he doubted that he would even be able to lift the large storybook. Instead he shook his head and attempted to smile at the boy. "No, you can keep it. Consider it a gift from me." He said, and Ludwig nodded, looking at the cover and opening it to the contents page and narrowing his eyes as he read the titles. "R-Really? I can have this?!" He asked eyes wide as he looked up at Austria hopefully. The brunet nodded, kneeling down so that he was closer to Ludwig's height."Ja, Since I wasn't previously aware of your existence...it can be a belated 'Happy becoming a Nation' Gift from your big brother Austria." Roderich stated, patting Ludwig's shoulder.

The blond looked at him, blue eyes narrowed. "...You aren't my big brother. Gilbert is. He's my only brother, he told me so." Ludwig recited faithfully. Austria just shook his head. "You're allowed to have more than one brother. My house is very close to yours, we both speak the same language, though mine is obviously better than yours. Germany, There are nations other than Prussia, and the more alliances you have, the better." Roderich stated, standing up. "If you ever want civil company, just come over here." The brunet said as he turned around. "For now, let's just go back downstairs. Gilbert is still looking for you."

Ludwig nodded, following Austria out of the room. He frowned when he realised that his own tiny little legs were moving a lot faster than Roderich's were, and the German had to walk at a reduced speed in order to follow him. "Mr. Austria?" He asked, still wearing a conflicted frown as he hugged the book to his chest. "I'd like to decline...you can't be my big brother. Gilbert is. I-I don't even look anything like you..." He stated quietly, though it seemed to be loud enough for Roderich to hear since the Austrian answered him. Raising a dark eyebrow, the older nation glanced at Ludwig and stopped walking to polish his glasses before putting them back on and resuming the walk. His glasses might not have needed to be polished, but it had been a valid excuse to stop walking. Moving was tiring and the Austrian had needed a short break. "Germany, I'll give you time to think before I accept an answer from you." Austria finally answered, leading the way downstairs with Germany in tow.

The ride home held a captivatingly tense atmosphere. Gilbert was annoyed at his brother for worrying him by getting lost, relieved that Ludwig had been found, but also irritated that Austria had been the one to find him. To think, Roderich had spend five minutes alone with Ludwig. Gilbert couldn't let this sort of thing happen often, he didn't want his little brother to become a soft, dependant freeloader that was useless on the battlefield. Gilbert wanted Ludwig to become a strong empire that, once he was grown, would never have to depend on another nation. If Ludwig was going to be strong...he would need to be trained, and there was no way that Austria would get in the way of that. Gilbert was not going to let Ludwig meet the same fate as Holy Rome.

"...G-Gilbert?" Ludwig asked, looking up from his book and tapping his brother's leg. Prussia raised an eyebrow, nodding. "Ja?"

"Are we related to ?" The young blond asked, his grip tightening on the book to prevent it from flying out of his hands as they rode over a bump in the road. He looked at his older brother with somewhat urgent expression. "Well? A-Are we?"

With a confused frown, the older of the two nations nodded. "Ja, He's our cousin. I've told you that before. Cousin..." After a moment of thought he added: "Distant Cousin." Gilbert tilted his head, causing Gilbird to fall off. "Why are you asking?" he inquired, picking the bird up and placing it back onto the top of his head, though in response the bird only let out an irritated 'Peep!' and pecked the albino's finger. Ludwig shrugged, hugging the book to his chest. "No reason, I was just...curious. He sounds like us, and he lives really close, so I wasn't sure." The blond answered, trying to appear as though the answer didn't really matter to him. It seemed to work, seeing as Prussia appeared to be satisfied with Ludwig's answer, though the words that soon exited Gilbert's mouth were a terrible disappointment to Ludwig. "Ja, but how close or far he lives from us, I don't want you going over there on your own. He's a bad influence; no man should be that beautiful. It can't be natural."

Ludwig frowned, nodding obediently. "Ja..I won't go over there on my own..." he promised, looking out of the window.

Gilbert changed the subject, and the two brothers spent the rest of the journey trying to outdo each other's attempts at beating a tongue twister. To Gilbert's great disappointment, Ludwig won.

**Yooooooo chapter two is finally up. It literally took way too long to write, but I got an intense need to write about Incest, which is odd because I usually dislike incest pairings but beggars can't be choosers when it comes to inspiration, I suppose. I have mock exams next week, so it might take a little longer than usual to update my other stories. ^^'**


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